Uncommon Attraction
by Dawn of the Sky
Summary: What if the Mindelan family had remained common, but a certain blue-eyed blond noble became involved with the youngest girl in the wealthy merchant family? Join us on a different type of adventure for Kel and Joren. AU, OOC, and OCs.
1. Chapter 1

**Uncommon Attraction**

**Disclaimer:** Tamora Pierce owns all of PotS and everything else in Tortall. We just like to play around in her world. Everything you recognize is hers and everything you do not recognize is ours.

**A/N: This story is a collaboration between Lotti's Lot and Ally-Marty, writing as Dawn of the Sky. We ask and answer the question: "What if the Mindelan family had remained common, but a certain blue-eyed blond noble became involved with the youngest girl in the wealthy merchant family?" Join us on a different type of adventure, filled with familiar friends, as well as some original characters! **

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_They left the marketplace, taking the Market Way up a long, sloping hill. This led them through districts where rich merchants lived, up past the villas of even richer nobles. The crossing of Market Way and Harmony Way marked the beginning of the Temple District. Here the Market Way changed its name, becoming the Palace Way._

_... She had heard that a hundred gods were worshiped in Corus. There were enough temples for that many, she thought. She even saw a troop of women dressed in armor, the guard of the Temple of the Great Mother Goddess. These women were armed with great double-headed axes, and they knew how to use them. Their duty was to keep men from ever setting foot on ground sacred to the Great Mother._

_--Tamora Pierce, Alanna: The First Adventure_

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**Prologue: An Uncommon Meeting**

_The Moon of Truth Temple of the Great Mother Goddess_

_Autumn, 452 H.E. (Human Era)_

The impeccably dressed, steely-eyed Archpriestess Danayne peered across the desk at the tall and stocky ten-year-old girl, who stood at attention, her long-lashed hazel eyes staring directly ahead. Neither person gave any indication of outward emotion. The girl's newly-shaved head and her loose, dark brown gown with the light brown apron and head cap identified her status as a novice temple guard. The apron and head cap would have been white if the girl was in training to become a priestess.

The Archpriestess pressed the long fingertips of her slender hands together as she considered the case before her. Earlier that morning, just prior to the Morning Prayer service, one of the senior priestesses had nearly slipped in a puddle of puppy piddle. The untrained dog belonged to this novice guard, who had taken in the orphaned animal, and it had escaped from her room. Many of the priestesses and temple guards kept pets, and several cats roamed freely throughout the temple halls, but the rule was that no dogs were to be loose within the temple at any time.

After a severe scolding, the Archpriestess issued the standard punishment for such an occurrence: the novice guard would scrub the white marble front steps of the temple until they gleamed - without assistance and during what would have been her free time on the following Saturday afternoon. A day's hard labor was a small price to pay for being able to keep the pet and the girl wouldn't have any difficulty with the punishment. She loved animals and she added the white puppy she had named Jump to the assortment of wild birds and squirrels she had begun to feed around the temple grounds.

_Swish ... splash ... swish-a-swish-a-swish_. The sound of the scrub brush was vaguely comforting to the girl as she diligently carried out her punishment. She had grown accustomed to such work during the three years she had fostered with her oldest sister, who was married to a merchant in the Yamani Islands. Her hands were red and raw from the harsh and gritty soap used to scour the steps, but she hardly noticed. She let her mind wander as she scrubbed the long marble stairway - fifteen steps in all.

The novice guard thought about her family. Her father was a prominent cloth merchant who had offices in Corus, Port Caynn and Yaman, as well as a homestead near Tortall's northern border with Scanra. Her mother was the third daughter of a noble House, who had married outside of her social class for love. The Mindelan home was filled with much laughter and affection.

There also were several brothers and sisters, but the girl adored her oldest sister and she truly had enjoyed caring for her three young nephews in Yaman. During her time abroad, she'd helped with chores and childcare while her sister recovered from a difficult pregnancy. It had been painful to leave them and return to her homeland, but it was a great honor for the girl to be chosen to train as a temple guard.

_Swish ... splash ... swish-a-swish-a-swish_. This punishment wasn't so bad for the novice guard; she truly didn't mind spending her time outside on such a glorious autumn day. She'd been back in Tortall for only four months and she still marveled at the sights in Corus. The royal palace was nearby and a steady stream of people strolled along the cobblestone lane outside of the temple gates.

The girl shielded her dreamer's hazel eyes as she looked out at the view. Colorful leaves rustled in the light breeze and there were very few clouds in the bright blue sky. Several families and young couples picnicked in the park across the street from the great temple and she could hear the squeals of a happy toddler not too far away. The sound reminded the girl of her nephews.

"Joreena!" A young woman shouted. "Come back!" The toddler only giggled in response.

"I'll get her!" A boy's voice answered the young woman. "Joreena, Uncle's got to go back to the palace. It's time to go home."

The novice guard gazed across the wide lane to the park and saw a tiny blond girl running toward the street. A handsome, blond boy - a royal page from the look of his scarlet and gold tunic - was chasing the toddler, whose chubby legs were moving very quickly. She could see that neither the page nor the little girl noticed the mounted courier cantering down the lane toward the palace.

"This is not a game, Joreena - stop running from me!" the page yelled. "Come back here right now."

"Oh, no!" cried the young woman as she saw the horse and its rider. "Stop her!"

The novice guard gasped, horrified, as the moments of time seemed to slow to a crawl. She clambered down the steps, knocking over her bucket as she ran across the courtyard, out through the temple gates and into the street before the Temple Guards could move.

Several things happened at once. The young woman screamed as she saw the horse bearing down on the child. The courier's mount reared at the sudden noise and movement. The novice guard scooped up the toddler and tumbled to safety in the lush grass of the park. The page skidded out into the street and one of the horse's flailing hooves grazed his shoulder, knocking him onto his backside, but not really injuring the boy. The child in the girl's arms wailed in distress.

"Are you all out of your minds?" the courier yelled at all of them once he forced his horse to stand on all four legs. "Miss, you'd best keep a closer watch on your child." He chided the girl and then continued on toward the palace, patting and comforting his horse as he went along.

"Thank you! Oh, thank you!" cried the young woman as she took the sobbing child from the girl's arms and cradled her against her bosom. "Shhh, Joreena. Everything's alright. Mama's here now."

The novice guard sat in the grass, catching her breath. She knew she'd have a bruise on her hip where she hit the ground. She also knew be in even more trouble for leaving the temple grounds without permission. She could see the Temple Guards glaring at her from across the lane. She also saw one of the senior priestesses standing on the steps, grimacing at the mess from the overturned bucket. A shadow suddenly fell over the girl.

"What do you think you were doing there, girl?" asked a cold, aristocratic voice. "You almost caused me and my niece to be seriously hurt!"

The girl looked up into the scowling face of the royal page. She had never seen a more beautiful boy. He had the same white-blond hair and rosy cheeks as the little girl she had just rescued. His sky-blue eyes would have been gorgeous if the he hadn't been glaring down at her and she quickly scrambled to her feet.

"I was only trying to help," she said quietly, as she looked at him directly, "When I saw the horse coming so fast, it looked like you wouldn't--"

"I neither requested nor needed your help," the page said through clenched teeth, "What is your name, _novice_? I wish to report you - everyone knows you girls are not supposed to leave temple grounds unless escorted."

"Joren, please," pleaded the young woman, gently pushing the angry boy aside. "She just _saved_ Joreena's life."

"Bah! I'll never need any help from a _girl_, Caelyn" the blond page complained, "I would have saved Joreena without her interference. Mithros! Now I'm going to have a sore shoulder."

The young woman ignored the page and nodded toward the girl. "My name is Lady Caelyn of Glenmont and this is my daughter, Joreena. She's named for her normally doting uncle here, Joren of Stone Mountain - he a royal page at the palace. What is your name, novice? I promise, we _won't_ report you." And she turned to give her brother a warning glance.

"I ... I am Keladry Mindelan and I apologize for any trouble, my lady." replied the girl, curtsying, "And I'm a novice _guard_, not priestess. I _am_ allowed to leave the temple grounds." She stared at the still-glaring page, silently challenging him to contradict her, even though today he happened to be correct - while she was being punished, she wasn't supposed to leave the temple grounds at all.

"Pay no attention to my brother," soothed Lady Caelyn, her daughter was now quietly sucking her thumb and watching the grown-ups through wide blue eyes. "We're all just a bit rattled, isn't that right my little sweetling?" She crooned into the toddler's corn silk hair.

"I'd better get back to the temple," Keladry said, "I ... I have work I must finish. It was good to meet ... all of you."

She quickly curtsied again and ran back across the lane after she checked in both directions. It didn't matter whether or not the nobles reported her; the novice guard already knew she was in plenty of trouble when she saw the Archpriestess come out onto the steps of the temple. It would be quite a long time before Keladry Mindelan would have a free afternoon again.

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**A/N: Okay! Please let us know what you think. Thanks! ~~ Dawn of the Sky**


	2. Chapter 2

**UNCOMMON ATTRACTION**

**Disclaimer:**Tamora Pierce owns all of PotS and everything else in Tortall. We just like to play around in her world. Everything you recognize is hers and everything you do not recognize is ours.

**A/N: **Hello all my little minions, Lotti here. You guys are amazing. I love how you have accepted our story so full out. Well, I hope you enjoy my contribution as much as you did Ally-Marty's.

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**Chapter I: The End of the Beginning**

**-Midwinter 458 H.E.**

**- The Chapel of the Chamber of the Ordeal**

_In, out, in, out_, issued each breath from the pale young man's nose as he knelt on the hard stone floor. He never had experienced such an oppressive silence; it pushed in all around him. Joren of Stone Mountain was bent over in a humble posture. His head bowed in submission as he gazed at the ground and several wisps of his rebellious white blond hair fell into his half-closed lids. Thousands of men before him had faced their greatest fears in the Chamber of the Ordeal. He knew of men who were better than him who had not survived. Would he?

Joren thought long and hard about the events of the previous night, when he had performed the ritual bath and received his final instructions of the Rules of Chivalry. Never before had the power of those words hit him more forcefully. They were almost like a punch in the gut…

…_Sir Paxton of Nond's deep voice vibrated as Joren embarked on what was to be the biggest night of his life. After emerging from the cleansing bath, Joren dried off and dressed in the soft white tunic and breeches which he never had worn before. His father, Burchard of Stone Mountain and his knight-master, Paxton of Nond, stood before him, both looking grim, as men often do prior to the Ordeal of Knighthood. _

_Joren's knight-master began in his deep gravely voice, "If you survive the Ordeal of Knighthood, you will be a knight of the realm. You will be sworn to protect those weaker than you, to obey your overlord and to live in a way that honors your kingdom and your gods."_

_Burchard continued in the same solemn tone of voice, "To wear the shield of a knight is an important thing. It means you may not ignore a cry for help. It means that rich and poor, young and old, male and female may look to you for a rescue, and you cannot deny them."_

_"You are bound to uphold the law. You may not look away from wrongdoing. You may not help anyone break the law of the land, and you must prevent the breaking of the law at all times in _all_ cases."_

_"You are bound to your honor and your word. Act in such a way that when you face the Dark God you need not be ashamed."_

_"You have learned the laws of chivalry. Keep them in your heart. Use them as your guides when things are at their darkest. They will not fail you if you interpret them with humanity and kindness. A knight is gentle. A knight's first duty is to understand."_

_"From this moment until you emerge from the Chamber of the Ordeal, you may not speak." _

_Joren acknowledged this with a nod, and looked away as his emotions threatened to engulf him. _

_Father and son embraced. Burchard kissed Joren on the forehead as he had done when his son was a child. "Make me proud, boy." _

_Reaching in Paxton grabbed his protégé into an embrace of his own, pounding him hard on the back. Then the three men sat quietly in the chapel, each one in his own brooding silence until the next morning…_

The weight of each word would later hang with Joren for the remainder of his years. So would his kneeling there in the Chapel for many hours. Countless thoughts and memories, as well as numerous faults, criss-crossed his mind crossed Joren's mind, all squabbling for the foreground. There had been a time when Joren had acted the arse to everyone around him. Sir Paxton had pounded most of the bad attitudes out of him, but nothing could take away the guilt he still felt from his past actions.

He remembered the time that his young niece Joreena, or Jori as they now called her, had been running across a street and a horse almost ran over her. A young, novice temple guard had saved the little girl. Instead of thanking the novice guard, then-Page Joren had behaved like the arrogantly privileged arse that he was and proceeded to scold her. Then there was the time he had ignored a young girl's cry for help when he was passing through the Lower City, blatantly walking past the alley of desperate whimpers, just as so many others had done. He completely ignored the Code of Chivalry in his single attempt to escape a similar fate.

The worst thing though, the thing that tore at Joren's conscience from the inside out, was a secret. Dark and dangerous. Caelyn's beatings. Jori's too. All bestowed by their husband and father- respectively- Elliot. As the squire knelt in the chapel, the memory of the first time he found out about the beatings flashed across his mind…

…_Jori was walking past Joren. He watched her as she passed by, slightly disturbed at the usually happy young girl's dejected state. On a sly suspicion, Joren grabbed her arm. Sun glinted off the tears that streamed from her fawn brown eyes as she looked down at the ground. The girl winced in reply as he turned her face toward him. Pulling her into his arms, Joren let Jori weep into his shoulder. For a long time uncle and niece sat there, comforting each other. Finally, Jori pulled herself away, quivering. _

_Joren looked at her with tenderly questioning ice-blue eyes. He pushed damp locks of white blonde hair from her face, "What's wrong, Love?" _

_The young girl began to tremble again and turned her head away, as if ashamed to admit the truth. Joren's hand gently coaxed her face around. He gazed at her kindly. Shakily, she pulled up the sleeve of her forest green brocade and showed him a very large, very purple bruise which was painted across her skin underneath the cloth. Tears were falling again, and in anguish, she whispered, "Daddy hit me." She began to sob… _

Joren knew that the beatings had continued on from there, but somehow Caelyn, Joren's older sister, had elicited from him a promise of silence on the matter. Everytime it happened, Joreena dashed to him in tears and with fresh bruises, and buried herself in the comfort of her uncles arms. Each time a twinge of guilt pricked his heart. The silence was torturing Joren and he was certain that he would be punished for not telling anyone that Caelyn's husband had beaten her to the brink of consciousness, repeatedly. This could be the death of both his niece and sister…and him. The Chamber would know. It knew all. And he would be held accountable for his actions - for what he hadn't done. Shudders imperceptibly racked the silent squire's body as he fought to hold back his own tears of shame.

A gentle hand touched Joren on the shoulder. Looking up, the anxious squire saw one of the gray-robed Mithran priests who had been with him inside the chapel all during his vigil. This one looked tranquil and reassuring. Joren rose. Another of the old monks gestured to the open metal door before him. Swallowing deep gulps of air, Joren of Stone Mountain valiantly stepped forward and entered the Chamber of the Ordeal, doubting that he would emerge alive…

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Keladry Mindelan knelt- garbed in a traditional gray robe- in front of the large marble altar. Her head was bowed and her posture demure, as was expected of all temple novices - whether they were to become priestesses or guards. Her long, mouse-brown hair was plaited down her back. It had grown a lot since it had been shaved off when she'd entered the temple at the age of ten. Unbound, Kel's long locks now hung past her slim waist.

If Kel had been standing, she'd have been taller than most women and even some men. Her body had grown strong during her years of swift and deadly training to become a temple guard. She was muscularly lithe and she had a deadly grace - the kind usually only held by the Shang warriors who occasionally stayed at the temple and taught at the temple

Long-lashed hazel eyes nervously glanced toward the High Priestess of the Moon Temple of Truth of the Great Mother Goddess. The woman who stood in front of Kel wore long blue robes with the lighter baby blue edging of the hems- a sign of virginity. The robes covered almost every inch of the older woman's skin. The priestess' name was Ebony, but she swiftly punished anyone she caught calling her that, just as she would have punished any other act of disrespect.

Tonight was to be the night that Keladry took her vows - those of the temple guards. This action would proclaim their acceptance of her into their ranks. She would receive her blue robes and join hundreds of other women who roamed temples, such as the one in which she knelt, in service to the cause of the Goddess.

"Rise, Novice Keladry." The High Priestess' husky and sweet voice rang out in the silence. Kel rose to her full height, head still bent. "Do you, as a Guardian of the Great Mother Goddess' sacred home, swear to protect this temple with your very life?"

"I do."

"Do you, Novice Keladry, as a servant of the Great Mother Goddess, swear to defend any woman or child who calls for your help, no matter the circumstances? Do you swear to answer every cry of help that you hear, no matter the distance, and to never ignore the harming of another woman or child, whether it is in the law or out?"

"I do."

"Do you, Novice Keladry, as a servant of the Great Mother Goddess, swear to protect the small?"

"I do."

"Do you, Novice Keladry, as a servant of the Great Mother Goddess, swear to bring to justice any man who has beaten, raped, killed, or otherwise harmed a woman or child in any way, as long as it is in your power to do so?"

"I do."

"Do you, Novice Keladry, as a servant of the Great Mother Goddess, swear to uphold all the teachings of the Great Mother Goddess, during your entire time as a Guardian of her sacred temple and home, and to always listen for her and her words, and to heed them with all swiftness and obedience?"

"I do."

"Then lift your head, Guard Keladry and enter the ranks of your sisters in this noble order you have joined."

Temple Guard Keladry Mindelan lifted her dreamy hazel eyes and her gaze met the piercing black eyes of the High Priestess. Kel bowed in respect. In unison, both student and teacher turned to leave the chamber in the depths of the Moon Temple of Truth. At the heavy stone door, the High Priestess turned once more to Keladry and said, "You may not speak of what has been said in this most sacred place. Nor may you speak of your feelings of this moment, for they, too, are sacred and should not be shared with any other person."

The door then opened in a seemingly solemn and final way. As the two women emerged, a great cheer erupted from the assembled priestesses and guards. As the well-wishers pulled Kel away from her mentor, a slight smile slipped across the High Priestess' hard face. "_She will do_," thought the older woman, _"She will do_."

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The heavy metal door closed with a solid-sounding clunk as Joren stepped into the darkened Chamber of the Ordeal. The whole place was pitch black. Silence reigned beyond any silence he had yet to experience. The emptiness of it shook him to his core. At first, it seemed like nothing happened. Tension slowly built in every bone and muscle of Joren's well-conditioned body.

_Something began to crawl up Joren's leg; its little feet felt sharp and hard on the thin white cotton breeches that barely protected his skin from the creeping thing. It was a very long moment before Joren figured it out. A scorpion! Joren hated scorpions with a passion and they terrified him to the very marrow of his bones for no plausible reason. Slowly, more of the creatures began to gather and crawl all over him; their legs digging into him with each ticklish step they took. Joren felt insane as he tried to keep himself from laughing, shrieking, and jumping around all at the same time._

_And then it was over and the room filled with a light so dazzling, it rivaled the sun. It was horribly bright compared to the darkness of the room only moments before. Joren's eyes were very light sensitive - it was one of the problems his mage brother had been unable to cure him of. For a moment the confused squire truly was blinded. _

_Suddenly, Joren heard the sounds of the city and he was transported to the time 6 years earlier, when he had walked with his sister and niece through the temple district in Corus. Little Jori was racing across the street, chasing a gray pigeon who kept hopping away from her. Totally oblivious to the mounted courier speeding down the road, she continued on. The courier sped toward the palace - and her. When this had happened in real life, a bald novice of the Great Mother Goddess temple guards had jumped in and saved the toddler. Unfortunately, this time the novice guard wasn't there and Joren didn't make it as he chased after Jori and her chubby legs. The horse trampled her before the courier riding it even realized what was happening. Pain tore through Joren's chest as he felt his heart break for the first time in his life. What had once been his two-year-old niece was now a pile of mangled bone and blood lying still in the middle of the street. Joren fell to his knees as he tried to approach her. _

_A much younger Caelyn than the one he had seen that very afternoon ran across the street past him and over to her dead child. "NOOOOOO!" She cried piteously, tears streaming down her face in rivers, as she collapsed in a heap over her baby's battered body. She turned to Joren in a grief-stricken rage, "You _failed_! Why didn't you stop her?! How could this happen?" Caelyn's sorrow was almost more than he could bear. In an attempt to comfort her, he opened his mouth, but then stopped. _NO! I cannot speak - no matter what!

_Caelyn turned to Joren again, still sobbing with agony, and before his eyes, big purple bruises sprouted all over her face and arms. She got up and began to run away from Joren. He followed her just as fast as he could. And then she disappeared over the edge of a cliff. Joren dropped to the ground and tears fell relentlessly from his eyes as he fought to restrain the screams that tore at his throat for release._

_Then the room darkened once more and the scorpions were back. This time they crawled all over Joren as he lay curled up in the fetal position, shaking with silent sobs._

And then it was over. The room turned to gray as light from the open doorway entered into his vision. Joren fainted.

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**A/N: Well, I hoped you liked it. Please review. Thanks!**

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	3. Chapter 3

**Uncommon Attraction**

**Disclaimer: This story is a collaborative effort between Lotti's Lot and Ally-Marty, writing as Dawn of the Sky. Tamora Pierce owns all of PotS and everything else in Tortall. We just like to play around in her world. Everything you recognize is hers and everything you do not recognize is ours. The song excerpt is from "****Now is the month of Maying" which is one of the most famous of the English madrigals, by Thomas Morley published in 1595. **

**A/N: Thank you for the very nice reviews! We advise you to get comfortable before you begin reading this extremely long chapter. ;D We also hope you'll continue to read and enjoy - and review - our story as we spin it along. :D **

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_The young woman ignored the page and nodded toward the girl. "My name is Lady Caelyn of Glenmont and this is my daughter, Joreena. She's named for her normally doting uncle here, Page Joren of Stone Mountain. What is your name, novice? I promise, we won't report you." And she turned to give her brother a warning glance._

_"I ... I am Keladry Mindelan and I apologize for any trouble, my lady." replied the girl, "And I'm a novice guard, not priestess. I am allowed to leave the temple grounds." She stared at the still-glaring page, silently challenging him to contradict her, even though today he happened to be correct - while she was being punished, she wasn't supposed to leave the temple grounds at all._

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**Chapter 2: Beltane Blues**

_Corus_

_May, 458 H.E. (Human Era)_

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_Now is the month of Maying,_

_When merry lads are playing,_

_Fa la la la la._

_Each with his bonny lass,_

_Upon the greeny grass,_

_Fa la la la la._

_The Spring clad all in gladness,__  
Doth laugh at Winter's sadness,  
__Fa la la la la..._

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Guardian Keladry Mindelan scowled in disgust because she could not get that silly old song out of her head. Beltane was the worst time of the year in Kel's humble opinion. Ever since her days as a novice, she'd witnessed the cruel aftermath of the brutality and depravity of men who forced females to 'celebrate' the occasion against their will. Goddess, she hated this holiday! So far this season, fourteen young women and girls had sought asylum within the temple grounds. Two of them were so traumatized that they still hadn't spoken to anyone for several days.

Many of those unfortunate souls had been to see Kel's best friend and long-time confidant, Lisette, who was one of the temple's best healers and a mid-level priestess. The healers stayed very busy after Beltane, trying to mend the mental wounds as much as, if not more than, the physical wounds of their patients.

After treatment, most of the battered women and children would return to their places and positions in Corus, but only after they'd received training in self-defense. Others would relocate to distant towns and villages when they had recovered enough to travel. Some, however, would remain within the temple walls and eventually become members of the close-knit society of women who devoted their lives in service to the Goddess.

Lisette, or Lissie as most people called her, had befriended the tall, stoic Kel after she came seeking relief for her hands, which were raw from many days of scrubbing floors and stairs with hot water and harsh soap. Everyone had heard about the new novice, who'd received many weeks of punishment and detention for running off of the temple grounds to save a child from being trampled by a horse. Not everyone had agreed with the harshness of the punishment, but the girl had become 'the example' to halt a near epidemic of rash and impudent behavior amongst that year's novices.

The older woman had a somewhat mysterious past - Kel knew only that she had come from a noble family and that she had chosen to stay cloistered at the temple after her two older brothers died trying to save her from an attack during the Immortals War. Lissie remained skittish around any winged creature, including birds, but Kel had coaxed her friend to be calmer when the ever-present sparrows flew around them in the temple's gardens. Today, she barely flinched while the two friends walked arm-in-arm through one of the flower gardens, taking a break to enjoy the fresh air and sunshine.

"How are all of your patients today, Lissie?" Kel asked. "Have you made any progress with the silent ones?" She'd liked her tall friend from the moment the older woman had told her that "we tall lasses must stick together, especially since we're always going to stick out in a crowd."

The thin, green-eyed brunette shook her head slowly and said, "The Daughters have been in constant prayer to the Goddess about those two poor souls. There's no telling what truly happened to them. We may never know."

Kel's expression turned angry and Lissie could feel her tense up, "Why do men do such things? They're such ... _awful_ creatures and I ... I hate them!"

"No, Kel, do not hate what you do not know," replied Lissie soothingly, "There are many good and kind-hearted men in the world. Our king is a good man. The men in my family were - and still are - good men. And haven't you told me wonderful stories of your own father and brothers? Aren't _they_ good men, too?"

"Yes, but ..."

"Ah, ah, ah," Lissie shook her head, "You know that we teach compassion here. It's not right to pass judgment upon people of any kind, based on the misbehavior of some of them. Certainly, you've had your share of seeing - and fighting against - the worst that men can do. But don't condemn _all_ men because of that."

Kel stopped on the gravel path and made her friend look at her, "How can I forget about the horrible things men have done when I see all the hard work you do in the infirmary to heal those poor women and girls?"

"You must _always_ look for the best in everyone," Lissie insisted. "Who knows? You might not be a Guardian of the Temple forever - I've seen the way you are with the little ones, Kel. You'd be a fine mother someday and you'll need a man for that." Her green eyes sparkled with the implication.

"Well, you're good with children, too, but you're still here," Kel muttered without thinking, and then covered her mouth in shame. "I'm sorry, Lissie! I didn't mean to--"

The older woman patted Kel's arm, "It's alright, Kel. I know I must come across as something of a hypocrite - always pushing you younger girls out of the gates, but never going out there myself. I ... I promise that I will visit my family ... sometime in the future. I do miss them, especially my younger brother; you know, he's a squire now. Perhaps when he is knighted ..."

But she never got to finish her sentence because a deep-sounding bell started to clang in a particular rhythm. _Clang, pause, clang, clang, pause ... clang, pause, clang, clang ..._ It was the call-to-arms for all available guards and healers to assist those who were stationed at the gates. It meant trouble - usually belligerent men in search of their fleeing wives or lovers or more women with casualties arriving - so the friends ran toward the temple buildings to get their gear and report for emergency duty.

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_Now is the month of Maying,_

_When merry lads are playing,_

_Fa la la la la._

_Each with his bonny lass,_

_Upon the greeny grass,_

_Fa la la la la._

_The Spring clad all in gladness,  
Doth laugh at Winter's sadness,  
Fa la la la la..._

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Sir Joren of Stone Mountain wrinkled his nose in distaste as the minstrel strolled past his table, singing one of the traditional Beltane songs. Gods, he hated this holiday! The only reason he was at the palace that evening was that his father, Lord Burchard, had eaten some bad food the day before and was unable to attend. Lady Emelda, Joren's mother, had insisted that the handsome young knight escort her to the royal Beltane banquet.

Joren recently had accompanied his parents from Stone Mountain to Corus and he'd been staying at the palace, awaiting the details of his new duty assignment on the Scanran border. He wished his sister and her husband hadn't cancelled at the last minute; he sensed that something was wrong between them. Joren also wished he'd stayed at the town house - Beltane was a time for lovers and this year, he had no one to call his own.

He gazed across the gaily-decorated banquet hall and his jaw tightened with bitterness at what he saw. Joren's insides churned as he watched his former best friend, Sir Garvey of Runnerspring, raise the hand of a gorgeous young woman to his lips and kiss her. She smiled prettily back at Garvey and then leaned close to him to whisper into his ear. The knight nodded and grinned wolfishly back at her.

The lady's name was Elinor of Josu's Dirk and she was one of the most beautiful girls at Court. Her honey-colored hair and amber eyes were like those of a great lioness or cougar - and she'd proven to be just as fickle as a feline. Joren had courted Elinor immediately after she was presented at Court, but she'd actually used him just to get to Garvey, to whom she recently had become betrothed.

"Joren, we really do belong together," Elinor had said to him when she refused his offer of marriage, "Our good looks complement each other so well, we'd be the prettiest couple at Court - except for their majesties, of course."

Joren had been hurt and confused, "Then ... why are you refusing me, Elinor?" This had happened during the Midwinter festivities, after he was knighted, but the memories still stung.

Elinor just shrugged, "You know my parents' situation since the drought. Our fief - the lands, the people, everything - is in such poor condition. I _must_ marry a 'first son' - someone who definitely will inherit a title and lands. I need to be able to help my family."

"Stone Mountain is very wealthy," Joren argued, "It doesn't matter that my brother, Rafe, is the heir. My father would give us anything and everything we needed to help your home fief."

"Dear, sweet Joren," Elinor shook her head, "That's all very kind, but it _does_ matter - to me. I don't want to be a second son's wife and _you'll_ never be Lord of Stone Mountain. I just can't marry you." And she'd left him sitting on one of the palace's stone benches, feeling like a fool.

Joren had felt all the more like a fool when Elinor showed up at the next ball on Garvey's arm. Apparently, she'd been flirting and corresponding secretly for quite a while with Joren's supposed friend, who was the only male heir to Fief Runnerspring. Other close friends, like Vinson of Genlith and Zahir ibn Alhaz, had known about Elinor's deceitfulness, but they were Garvey's friends, too. At first, Joren was heartbroken; now he just felt angry and betrayed.

Joren forced himself to look away from Garvey and Elinor and he glanced around the room at all the other guests. The large royal banquet hall was filled to capacity and the pages were beginning to bring out the heavy platters of food. Joren was mildly surprised - and annoyed - that the page assigned to serve him and the other guests at the table that evening was a girl.

Now there were three girl pages at the palace. The one serving at Joren's table was the realm's first female page; two more had come to the palace the next year after her. The girl was average in height, with tightly braided and tucked black hair and calm, blue eyes. She also happened to be King Jonathan and Queen Thayet's second daughter, Princess Lianne of Conté. Joren didn't have anything against the girl personally; he just didn't think that women should become knights.

Joren's family was quite conservative, but they were not as opposed to the activities of the royal family as many other conservatives were. Joren knew the oldest Conté children fairly well. The Crown Prince, Roald of Conté, had been friendly toward him when they were pages and squires together. The beautiful Princess Kalasin usually danced at the formal balls with Joren whenever he requested, even before he became a knight. She was only a year younger and everyone thought she'd have been the first girl page.

The fact that Princess Kalasin was magically Gifted like her father and older brother - and the first Lady Knight, Sir Alanna the Lioness - was offered as a major excuse for her not becoming a page. Some conservative nobles didn't want her to 'magic' her way through - even though no one ever accused any Gifted males of such cheating. Joren preferred to believe the more popular rumor that King Jonathan feared not being able to make a good political match for his oldest daughter if she became a knight. After all, what sane monarch would want a wife who might be able to beat him in a real battle?

Joren didn't really know Prince Liam, who had become a page the same year Joren and Prince Roald became squires. Unlike his older, very reserved brother, Liam had gained a reputation around the palace as a bit of a prankster. Supposedly, he was the only one who could - and did - haze his sister, Lianne, when she became a page. Now that he'd passed his big exams, Prince Liam was King Jonathan's squire. Princess Lianne was half-way through her page years and most people assumed that she'd become Sir Alanna's squire eventually.

As for the younger royals, Joren knew that Prince Jasson would begin as a page at the palace in the autumn. Like his brother, Liam and his sister Lianne, Jasson did not possess the Gift; however, he was incredibly intelligent and many people at Court wondered if he would become a scholar-knight someday. No one knew whether or not the youngest and very powerfully Gifted Conté, Princess Vania, wanted to become a knight. Joren smiled at the thought that the precocious, eight-year-old princess was the same age as his niece, Jori. There was plenty of time for both little girls to decide their futures.

Joren smiled stiffly at Page Lianne when she offered the fingerbowl to him. She was very proficient at her duties and did not seem pretentious or haughty as some people might have expected her to be. Even so, he was doubly glad that he'd been out on missions with his knight-master when the girl pages had arrived. Joren wondered how the male pages were handling all the extra pressure and competition not only to be better than each other, but also to be better than the females. Life at the palace was difficult enough without having to watch yourself around a bunch of girls.

* * *

_###################_

_Now is the month of Maying,_

_When merry lads are playing,_

_Fa la la la la._

_Each with his bonny lass,_

_Upon the greeny grass,_

_Fa la la la la._

_The Spring clad all in gladness,  
Doth laugh at Winter's sadness,  
__Fa la la la la..._

_###################_

Lady Caelyn of Glenmont wished she could laugh at Winter's sadness, but instead, she winced in pain as she heard the drunken revelers passing outside her window, wailing that old Beltane song at the top of their lungs. Gods, she hated this holiday! Every Beltane, when fertility was supposed to be assured, her husband would insist on them "making the most of the opportunity" to create another baby. Now Caelyn lay on her bed, trying to be quiet and still so that she wouldn't disturb, Elliot, the man to whom she'd been married for nine long years.

They had known each other since they were little children; the Glenmont and Stone Mountain families' town homes in Corus shared a common back alley and Caelyn had grown up watching the antics of Elliot and his four older brothers from across the way. Her older brother, Rafe, was a close friend of Elliot's brother, Barton. There was an old saying: "Familiarity breeds contempt." Perhaps they all knew each other too well - and hated each other for it.

Even though Elliot's brothers had always teased him for being the 'baby' of their family, Caelyn had never realized how insecure her husband was around them until after they were married. Elliot was certain that they blamed him for anything bad that happened in their family. The last Baroness of Glenmont had died giving birth to her fifth child in seven years of marriage, and the Baron never remarried.

Elliot and his brothers grew up fairly wild and uncontrollable and their father encouraged intense sibling rivalry. The pranks and jokes of the Glenmont men sometimes seemed good-natured, but there was a cruel undertone that marred most family gatherings. Caelyn, whose own family at Stone Mountain was very quiet and reserved during meals, began to dread the raucous mealtimes with all of Elliot's brothers and their wives.

The beatings began subtly; when they first started living at Castle Glenmont, Elliot hadn't liked the way that Caelyn seemed to be amused by all of his brothers' stories about him and he would quietly stomp on her toes under the table whenever she laughed at their jokes. One evening, Elliot accused Caelyn of having secret longings for his handsome brother, Barton, who was well-known for his philandering ways. He slapped her face when she proclaimed her innocence and indignation. Of course, Elliot apologized afterward and blamed it on his being too inebriated to control his actions.

Situations usually deteriorated into arguments and worse whenever the men of Fief Glenmont drank too much - which, unfortunately, was much too often. All of the brothers' wives kept to themselves and didn't discuss what went on behind their closed doors. Both Elliot and Caelyn despised the tense atmosphere at Glenmont Castle, so they spent most of the year at the town house and he attended to their family's interests in Corus.

When Elliot was away from his brothers, he usually was in a better mood and he didn't get drunk as often. When he was happy, Elliot was the most charming man Caelyn knew; he was the man with whom she'd fallen so deeply in love that she wouldn't allow her father to consider any other suitors for her. During the good times, he took his wife and daughter on long rides through the forest or on picnics in a nearby park. But the 'good times' were becoming increasingly rarer with each passing year.

Silent tears ran down Caelyn's swollen face and soaked her pillow as she remembered Elliot's latest beating. They had received a message from Glenmont that Barton's wife had given birth to a fourth child - another boy to add to their three other sons - and the news had put Elliot in a foul temper.

After he heard the news of the birth of another nephew, he told Joren that they would not be attending the Beltane banquet at the palace that evening. Elliot then drank for a while before he dragged Caelyn up the stairs to their bedroom, declaring that it was time for them to try again to make a son.

All four of Elliot's brothers had one or more sons, but Joreena was his only child and he'd never recovered from his siblings' harassing him about his failure to sire a male child. Several healers, including Caelyn's own brother, Rafe, had been unsuccessful in their attempts to discover or eliminate the cause of her inability to become pregnant again. It was a constant source of stress in their household. Elliot often was too drunk to carry out his procreative plans and that's when he started taking out his frustrations on his wife.

x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x

The next morning, when she was certain that her father had gone out for the day, Jori crept into her parents' bedroom. Caelyn closed her eyes and felt the cool, healing magic flowing into her skin wherever Jori touched her mother's bruises. She soon felt well enough for to get out of bed and get dressed with very little pain. Caelyn was certain that the only reason she and her daughter were still alive was that the eight-year-old girl recently had started to show signs of being magically Gifted. Actually, Jori was becoming quite the natural healer.

The Gift ran sporadically through Caelyn's mother's side of the family. Rafe, Caelyn and Joren's older brother, didn't start showing signs that he was Gifted until after he survived a horrible horse-jumping accident which should have killed him. The resulting limp prevented Rafe from training to become a knight, but he received a full university education in the arts of magecraft and healing. Now he served as the primary healer and mage for all the tenants of Fief Stone Mountain and the surrounding area. Rafe guessed correctly at the sad state of Caelyn's home life when he examined her, but she'd made him promise not to tell anyone - just as she'd made Joren make the same promise earlier.

Jori's soothing, blue-tinged touch had healed both mother and daughter, seemingly of its own accord, many times in the past year or so. Often, Caelyn became aware that Jori had mended their wounds only after the girl fainted from the exhaustion of using her Gift to its limits. They did not tell Elliot about Jori's Giftedness; he simply thought that his beautiful daughter, his only child, was becoming a frail weakling as she grew older.

"Mama?" Jori asked quietly after she helped Caelyn get dressed and they headed down the stairs to have a late breakfast, "Will Papa always be mad at us if you don't ever have a baby boy?"

Caelyn wanted to reassure her brave daughter, but she couldn't make herself lie, "I ... I don't know, darling. I don't know."

Jori paused for a moment and then asked, "Why does he blame us? It's not your fault, Mama. Really, it's not. _You_ could have many more babies."

"Hush, child!" Caelyn breathed, alarmed. "It's ... it's _impossible_ for anyone to know that." She glanced around to make sure no servants were nearby.

"But I _do_ know, Mama," Jori quietly insisted, as she stopped on the landing between the upper and lower staircases, "It's just like with the kittens and the puppies. I always know how many will be born and how many more will come. I don't know how I know, but I really do _know_ that you could have mo--"

Caelyn put her hand over Jori's mouth and hissed, "No, Joreena! _Never_ let anyone hear you speak of this. Your father must not find out what you can do or even what you _think_ you can do. Do you understand me?" She released her hold on her daughter only after the frightened girl nodded and they continued down to the dining room in silence.

The household staff never commented on the condition of or the colorful bruises on their mistress' face and body. The fact that the entire right side of Lady Caelyn's jaw line and neck looked rather purplish-blue this morning saddened them, but they were glad to see that neither of her eyes were blackened this time and the little girl seemed to be alright, too. The servants were not stupid; they'd been cleaning up after the Glenmont family for many years. And they understood all too well that Sir Elliot was not above hitting anyone within the household - family or servant - when he was upset.

Caelyn now knew without a doubt that she must come up with a plan to escape from the worsening situation with Elliot before he discovered their daughter's true abilities. The Baron of Glenmont neither liked nor trusted anyone who was magically Gifted and he would not be pleased to discover that his granddaughter was so 'afflicted.' Caelyn also realized that she should allow Rafe to assess Jori's Gift and determine how to help her - the sooner the better.

Suddenly, a brilliant idea occurred to Caelyn while she and Jori worked on their embroidery. The previous Midwinter, one of her favorite dressmakers, a talented woman named Lalasa Isran, had designed a long-sleeved, high-necked ball gown for Caelyn to conceal her tell-tale bruises. When the seamstress delivered the beautiful gown, she discreetly sang the praises of the Daughters of the Goddess at the Moon of Truth Temple who had provided shelter and healing to the shy woman after she'd been brutally attacked. Caelyn now remembered that there was a perfect spot for a picnic in the park across from that particular temple. Once she and Jori were safely inside the temple grounds, no one - not even the king himself - would have the power to retrieve them.

Jori had been begging for them to go on a picnic together, and since it was such a lovely spring day, Caelyn sent a message to Joren. He quickly replied that he'd love to escort them to the park when he returned from the palace later that day. Joren recently had accompanied his parents from Stone Mountain to Corus and he'd been staying at both the family town house and the palace, awaiting the details of his new duty assignment on the Scanran border. Jori looked forward to visiting with her uncle and she was very excited about their picnic.

x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x

"Mama, I really like this place," said Jori, as she gazed around the park.

"Why haven't we ever come here before?"

"Oh, we used to come here all the ti--" Caelyn stopped as she noticed the stricken look on her brother's face.

Caelyn adjusted her position on the blanket and fingered her wide-brimmed hat before glanced back at Joren. They had, of course, been here many times before - just not since Jori was two years old. Joren and Caelyn still remembered the day Jori almost was trampled in the street. It truly was one of the prettiest little parks in Corus, but the siblings didn't like to be reminded of that awful time.

"Now that I think about it, Caelyn," Joren began, sounding suspicious, "Why _did _you want to come to this park? I thought you didn't ... care for it anymore."

Caelyn slowly loosened the ribbon beneath her chin and let her hat fall back behind her. Jori dropped her gaze to her lap when she heard her uncle gasp in horror. The large hat had disguised Caelyn's injured face and neck, but now her brother clearly saw the fresh bruises. The battered woman was silent as she watched Joren's face turn red with rage that his sister had been so mistreated.

"Joren," Caelyn's voice was barely above a whisper, "We ... we'll need your help, but you mustn't tell _anyone_. Today - very soon - Jori and I are going to ... disappear into the safety of that temple for a while."

The color drained from Joren's face as he began to understand what his sister was telling him. This particular park was directly across from the Moon of Truth Temple of the Great Mother Goddess. Often, when women sought shelter with the Daughters of the Goddess, no one saw them for a long time. If Caelyn and Jori went into the temple, there was no telling when he'd be able to see them again, especially since no males could enter those grounds without incurring serious bodily harm. Joren shook his head in disbelief.

Caelyn continued, "We're ready. Both Jori and I are wearing an extra set of clothes underneath our outfits and I was able to pack few essentials into the picnic basket when the servants weren't watching. I know they inform Elliot of everything about my comings and goings and he's likely to be furious when he discovers that we're gone."

Joren shook his head more vigorously, "Caelyn, no! You ... you can't just ... disappear. Let me tell Father - I'm sure he already suspects - and he and Rafe will keep both of you safe at Stone Mountain."

"Joren, I know you've wanted to help me for a long time, so please try to understand," tears rolled down Caelyn's face, "Last night ... I finally realized that ..._ nothing _will stop Elliot. He ... he wants a son. And we can't ... I just can't ... be with him anymore. He'll keep on punishing Jori for being a girl and he'll keep hurting me until ... until ... I don't know what. This is the only way out for us." Then she began to sob.

Joren reached out and held his sister's hand tightly as he spoke through clenched teeth, "Why won't you let me pound that fool of a man? Hardly anyone has ever been beaten me on the practice courts. And you know I usually win the contests I've entered. I'll give Elliot a taste of his own treatment - just let me at him!" Joren's voice was bitter and angry.

"And start a blood feud between our families?" Caelyn sounded horrified. "No, I can't allow such a thing to happen. Besides everything else, Jori is ... well, she's got the Gift - just like Rafe. And you know how strongly Elliot's family feels about that." Jori smiled shyly and scooted over to lean affectionately against her uncle.

Joren remembered all too well that when they were younger, Rafe endured all kinds of harassment and ridicule from the Glenmont brothers, with exception of his friend Barton. When everyone learned that Rafe possessed the Gift, the Baron of Glenmont declared that he would not allow his sons to have such a dangerous companion. The old fool was afraid that Rafe would use magic to exact his revenge for all the teasing his sons had inflicted through the years. He only consented to Elliot's marriage with Caelyn once he was assured that neither she nor Joren were magically Gifted.

Joren reached down and softly stroked his niece's hair. Caelyn squeezed his other hand reassuringly before she withdrew from his grasp. He couldn't believe this was really happening now. He knew the Daughters of the Goddess would take good care of them, but he'd miss them terribly.

* * *

The scene at the gate was chaotic. Every week, temple guards took a mule-drawn cart down to the Lower City to offer victimized women and children a ride back to the temple for medical attention and, in many instances, asylum from their tormentors. This time, a group of drunken ruffians had followed and harassed the cart all the way back to the Temple District. Now several thugs were attempting to recapture frantic women out of the guards' care.

Kel waded into the melee, dressed in her armor, with her battle-ax raised. She clubbed the brawlers' heads with the ax's handle and knocked a few of them unconscious without drawing much blood. She was in mid-swing when she felt a strong hand grab her forearm and pull her through to the edge of the crowd. She wrenched free and turned to attack her assailant and found herself face-to-face with a very handsome, very blond nobleman. Somehow, she didn't think he was with the ruffians.

Joren, Caelyn and Jori couldn't help but notice the ruckus across the street which had interrupted their discussion. It looked as though the temple guards had been bringing in a cart-load of women and children, most of them were dressed in barely more than filthy rags. A group of loud, angry men had arrived and seemed to be threatening the poor women and harassing the guards at the temple gates. Some of the thugs were very large, menacing men and Joren didn't think that the female temple guards had much of a chance for success. Suddenly, Caelyn and Jori got up and ran for the temple gates.

"Caelyn! Jori! No!" Joren yelled as he ran after them. "Don't go yet! Wait!"

Miraculously, the mother and daughter made it onto the temple grounds without anyone molesting them or hindering them from entering the gates. Joren saw one of the priestesses whisk them away into the nearest building and cried out in anguish. He tried to push is way through the brawlers to get to the gate. Then he saw one of the temple guards and pulled her to the side so he could explain the situation.

"Sir, you need to step back!" Kel warned Joren as she wrenched free of his grasp. "I don't want to hurt you!"

"My sister! My niece!" Joren exclaimed. "I need to talk to them. They just ran inside. Help me!"

"Sir, this isn't a good time," Kel said as she tripped a thug with her leg, "I really don't think you're part of this riot, so I'm letting you go."

Joren ducked a wild swing from one of the men, "_You're_ letting _me_ go? That's funny. You ... guards are lucky I'm here. I am a knight and--"

Joren never finished his sentence; one of Kel's sister guards hit him in the back of his head with her ax handle. He dropped to the ground, unconscious. Kel look at his fallen form in horror. The other guard shrugged and went back to subduing other brawlers.

The 'riot' ended soon enough. One thug was badly injured and several others lay in front of the gates, still unconscious. The temple guards tied up the men with their hands behind their backs to wait for the Provost's guards to haul them away to prison. Someone had sent for a healer to come to the gates to care for the injuries.

Kel had pulled the blond nobleman over to the side, away from the other men and tried to revive him. He looked vaguely familiar to her, but she was certain that she'd never seen a man who wore the badge and sword of a knight up close. She slapped his face lightly until his eyes fluttered open.

"Sir? Sir?" Kel asked as she helped him to sit upright. "Are you alright?"

"Huh? What happened?" Joren asked groggily. "Who are you?"

"I'm Guardian Keladry." She replied. "We're sorry, but you took a rather nasty blow to the head. One of our healers will be here in a moment to take a look at you. Do you know where you are, sir?"

"Temple. My ... sister and her daughter ... came here," Joren's speech was slightly slurred. "Want to ... talk to them."

Kel had seen too many battered women and children running away from supposedly loving brothers, husbands, fathers and other men. No matter how nice this man appeared to be, she knew that looks could be deceiving. She pursed her lips and asked, "Who are you? Tell me your name, sir, and I'll get a message to them."

"My name ... is Sir Joren ... of Stone Mountain," he said, "And you're going to be ... very sorry that ... you assaulted me." And then he fainted.

* * *

**A/N: Okay! Just to recap, for the purposes of this AU story, we are writing that Princess Lianne became the first girl page because, obviously, our common-born Kel could not do so. After losing the arguments over Princess Kalasin, Queen Thayet insisted that King Jonathan allow their second daughter to enter the palace training when she turned ten years old. There was very little fuss - no probationary year nonsense - when Lianne became a page and no one hazed her, except her brother, Liam, who is two years ahead of her. Since we couldn't find the exact ages of Jon and Thayet's children, we are assigning their ages and dispositions are as follows: Sir Roald is 18 (same as Joren) and magically Gifted; Kalasin is 17 and Gifted; Liam is 14 and 'normal' and he's just become his father's squire since Zahir is now a knight; Lianne is 12 and normal and half-way through her page years; Jasson is 10 and normal and will become a page soon; and Vania is 8 and Gifted and she doesn't know yet if she wants to become a knight. Obviously, the above information had very little to do with this particular chapter, but it gives you an idea of the current social climate for noble girls in our AU version of Tortall. Please let us know what you think. Thanks! ~~ Dawn of the Sky**


	4. Chapter 4

**Uncommon Attraction**

**Disclaimer: This story is a collaborative effort between Lotti's Lot and Ally-Marty, writing as Dawn of the Sky. Tamora Pierce owns all of PotS and everything else in Tortall. We just like to play around in her world. Everything you recognize is hers and everything you do not recognize is ours. **

**A/N: Sorry it's taken so long for this to come along, guys, life is getting way too busy. I hope you like the latest chapter. **

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_"'My name ... is Sir Joren ... of Stone Mountain,' he said, 'And you're going to be ... very sorry that ... you attacked me.' And then he fainted."_

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* * *

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**Chapter 3: Friends to Report**

Five more guards and priestesses stood at the gate where Caelyn and Jori entered into the temple courtyard, waiting to usher in the women from the scuffle outside. A thin, brown-haired priestess shepherded them into the sanctuary of the temple. Before she let the woman escort her inside, Jori gave one last, tearful glance to her uncle, who was yelling and in the midst of the fight. Her final view of Joren was of him struggling to reach her and her mother at the gate. Then he was gone, and they were behind the gray stone walls of their new home.

The young priestess reached for Jori's hand; she had a kindly smile on her bright, but melancholy face. Jori placed her small hand in the woman's grasp. "I am Lisette, or Lissie, if you prefer," said the priestess, and her voice sounded sweet to her two new charges.

Caelyn looked at Lissie with curiosity and replied quietly, "I am Caelyn, and this is my daughter, Jori," She purposely left out their proper family names. Another of Lissie's sweet smiles answered her as the priestess led the two of them into the temple.

Inside of the temple, baby blue obviously stood out as the dominant color. Women of various ages ambled through the hallways and corridors and many of them were dressed in the light blue colors of the priests and guards. Tapestries hung on the walls, some told complex stories of the Great Mother Goddess, while others told of her prophets. On one wall hung a length of cream-colored cloth embroidered with the image of a short woman in gold chain mail. She had short, brilliantly red hair and violet eyes and she stood with her head bowed down as if in prayer or submission. Another tapestry showed a scene depicting a group of children traveling down a sloping green moor; they were led by an indistinct woman carrying a little girl.

Lissie led Caelyn and Jori up a flight of stairs and past a dozen doors, most of them closed and concealing unknown rooms. Finally, they stopped at an open entrance. Inside the room were beds covered in white sheets, some even surrounded by blue curtains. A dozen or so women strolled through the room, occupying themselves at the filled beds.

Some of the occupants of these beds appeared to be fine, while others were bruised and beaten as severely as or worse than Caelyn and Jori. But upon closer inspection, all of them - even those who on first glance looked fine - could be identified as victims, especially by the bags under their eyes or the fear in their gazes. Some couldn't stop moving; many twitched and bit their lips in anxiety at their new surroundings.

One of the healers detached herself from the others. Joining Lissie's side, she spoke in a hushed voice, "Hello, my name is Corrine. Can I help you with these two, Lissie?" Lissie nodded. Corrine led Caelyn to a vacant bed, while Lissie, still holding Jori's hand, walked over to a smaller cot.

Settling Jori on the white sheets of the cot, Lisette began to collect her tools: swabs of cotton and rolls of healing wraps, a bowl of steaming water, and clean cloths. Then she bent down in front of Jori and asked, "Could you show me where you are hurt, please?"

Jori shook her head and pulled her knees into her chest, all the while avoiding Lissie's celery green eyes. The latter sighed, pulled a chair from somewhere behind her, and sat down. She reached out a hand to lift Jori's chin and met her ice-blue eyes. Tears silently rolled down the young girl's round cheeks.

"Hey, don't cry honey. It's alright now. Everything will be alright." Lissie pulled Jori in for a hug and tears continued to fall as the strange healer comforted young Jori.

It took some minutes, but finally the girl slid her sleeves upward, exposing the fading green and new purple bruises all along her arms and neck. Some of the bruises trailed below the silk neckline of the child's bright green frock. Lissie shook her head at each new injury, wondering about the cruelty of men.

"How old are you, Jori?" Lissie chatted gently as the healing began.

"Eight," Jori answered succinctly.

"Eight? Well, you look much younger, did you know that?"

"Yes."

Lissie laughed, "You don't like to talk to much do you?"

A tentative smile graced Jori's little mouth, "Maybe," she replied slyly.

"Tell me about yourself, then, Jori."

"Well, my name really isn't Jori; it's actually Joreena. My Mother named me after my uncle Joren, but I don't like Joreena because it sounds funny." Lissie chuckled at Jori's comments.

At that moment another woman appeared and stood behind Lisette. Her robes announced that she was a guard. She looked exhausted; her dreamy hazel eyes were weary and blank. Her face was like a blank canvas, waiting for a splash of emotion to be thrown upon it.

The guard opened her mouth and declared in a soft firm voice, "The Priestess has assigned me to this child and her mother for the duration of their stay." Then she smiled wanly at Jori, "I'm Kel."

Jori seemed to be retreating back into her shell, so Lissie replied for her, "Kel, this is Joreena, but don't call her that. It's Jori, I guess." She stopped for a moment and surveyed Keladry, "You look beat dear; why don't you take a break?"

Kel shook her head, "No, I can't. Maybe later, but not now." She sighed and pulled her hand across her face, as if to revive herself.

"Trouble?"

"Yes. Some nobleman knight was attempting to get in the gates while we were bringing in the wagons. He said he was after his sister and niece; he claimed he just wanted to see them." She let out a huff and Jori's ears perked up. "Marie got him a good one in the head with her axe. Apparently, he believes it was me who got him, though, after he was trying to assist us. Or so he says, at least. Why can't they just stay out of it?"

Lissie smiled and gently patted Kel on the back in a sisterly way. All the while, Jori listened intently to the conversation, her heart beating faster.

x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x

Joren had awakened minutes after he'd been knocked to the ground and he was furious. The street around him was all but empty, and the temple gate was closed. Despair suddenly engulfed him as he fell to his knees in front of the Temple of the Moon. Melodramatic as it was, Joren couldn't stop himself from crying. Slowly his tears turned to anger. Anger in particular toward a certain temple guard. It was her fault he hadn't been able to say good-bye to Jori and Caelyn.

And so he marched off - his rage boiling higher and higher with each passing second - toward the palace. A plan quickly formed in his mind. He would go to Wyldon, that's where he would go. Speaking with his former training master would be the key.

Lord Wyldon had retired from the strains of Training Master just months before and now held dominion over the newer knights he had raised. He was a stocky man, with a hard-worn handsome face and brown hair that grew barely a centimeter from his head, which was beginning to gray. A stiff arm hung at his side, usable but pained. He had received the war wound during the Immortals War, while protecting Princess Kalasin from a Stormwing. It had never fully healed.

Joren had know Wyldon most all of his life. Their fathers had trained together themselves and been very close friends. Burchard had asked Wyldon to be Joren's godfather on the day Joren was born. The former training master had taken a liking to the boy, even though he had been a moody and irritating youth. The years of hard training had changed him into the hardened, chivalrous conservative he was.

Once granted entrance to Lord Wyldon's office, Joren strode in, tall and confident. He gave a slight bow to his superior. Wyldon observed the young knight with a critical eye, "What is it Joren?"

"Sir, I would like to report an attack."

Lord Wyldon looked up again, startled, "Who and when?"

"I was attacked, sir. Today."

"Explain," Wyldon demanded doubtfully.

"Sir, I was picnicking with my sister and niece this afternoon, close to the Temple of the Great Mother Goddess. A scuffle broke out across the road as some temple guards were bringing in women for sanctuary. A group of men, who obviously wanted their wives and lovers back, attacked the women and I went over to assist the guards. I explained myself to one of the guards during the brawl, but she still assaulted me. I request, sir, to file a report against this guard," Joren finished succinctly, knowing that all the while that his story very much sounded ridiculous.

Wyldon sighed heavily, "Her name."

"Keladry Mindelan."

"Mindelan..." Wyldon mused. He knew that name.

The Mindelans were a rich family of silk merchants. It was a huge family, at least four boys and at least as many girls. Their mother was Lady Ilane of Seabeth and Seajen. Ilane's scandalous marriage to the short, common merchant, Piers, was still a topic of gossip at court when conversations became dry. Their union surprised everyone, to say the least, yet both families remained on good terms. In fact, things were so good that some of the Mindelan children had married nobles themselves - progressives, of course. Wyldon paused a moment in his rambling thoughts and finally announced, "I will see what I can do about it. You are dismissed."

Two days later, Keladry meandered quietly through the crowded streets of lower Corus. It was her day off, the first she'd had since before her induction as a temple guard. Many visits were in order to her few friends outside of the temple.

Ambling through the main square, Kel drew in all that her senses would allow. Bitter and sweet scents mingled in the air, along with the smell of the dirty, sweaty humans who were milling around. Shops and stalls lined every corner and street, separated only by the occasional pub or inn. The shops varied, and seemed to be placed randomly throughout the marketplace. An apothecary's multicolor-filled window lined itself right up to the brown-filled window of a bakery, each resonating with their unique décor and aroma.

Kel wove through the crowd, an expert at such things, until she came upon a small, but full, dressmakers shop. Women - mostly nobles - browsed through the small selection of already-made clothes. Two women with exhausted smiles plastered to their warm faces were busy helping all of their customers. At the sight of Kel, one of them left her client and walked over to Kel, embracing her as they met.

"Kel, where have you been? It has been far too long." She hugged Kel again, then stepped back and clucked her tongue, "You are looking far too shabby in those robes. Congratulations on becoming a guard." She beamed through her weary face.

"Thanks Lalasa. I'm sorry to have been gone so long, but this is my first free day in months." Kel sighed happily, "It's a lot of work, but I love it."

Lalasa grinned. She herself had once been in residence at the Temple, after a squire at the castle attempted to rape her twice. It had taken over a year for her to gain any type of confidence. But in that time, the priestesses and guards all had discovered her superb skill with the needle, and had employed her at once. Lalasa's career received a boost from the queen, who visited the temple once a month. Upon uncovering the secret of Lalasa, Queen Thayet immediately commissioned a dress from her and the rest was history.

"Tian and I were thinking about closing soon; would you like to go and visit Stefan with me?" Stefan was a groomsman up at the palace, to which Lalasa had taken a fancy. Oddly enough, he returned her affection. In the beginning Kel had been a skeptic, due to their age difference of more than a decade. Her views since then had changed dramatically.

It took some time for the shop to empty, but finally the only people left were Keladry, Lalasa, and Tian. The former two set off for the palace, softly conversing. Before long, they had entered into the stables which, naturally, reeked of horses and hay.

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**A/N: Please review (I wouldn't mind some constructive critisim). Thanks! :D**


	5. Chapter 5

**Uncommon Attraction**

**Disclaimer: This story is a collaboration between Lotti's Lot and Ally-Marty, writing as Dawn of the Sky. Tamora Pierce owns all of PotS and everything else in Tortall. We just like to play around in her world. Everything you recognize is hers and everything you do not recognize is ours.**

**A/N: Thanks again for the nice reviews! We know that in the original books, Lalasa and Tian were a couple, but here in our story, we decided to change a lot of things around (obviously), and so we are writing in a little side romance between Stefan Groomsman and Lalasa. We hope you'll continue to read and enjoy - and review - our story as we spin it along. ~~ Ally-Marty :D **

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"_Tian and I were thinking about closing soon; would you like to go and visit Stefan with me?" Stefan was a groomsman up at the palace, to which Lalasa had taken a fancy. Oddly enough, he returned her affection. In the beginning Kel had been a skeptic, due to their age difference of more than a decade. Her views since then had changed dramatically._

_It took some time for the shop to empty, but finally the only people left were Keladry, Lalasa, and Tian. The former two set off for the palace, softly conversing. Before long, they had entered into the stables which, naturally, reeked of horses and hay._

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**Chapter 4: A Lovely Horse**

Stefan Groomsman loved horses. He understood horses and they understood him. Stefan,who was known as 'horse-hearted', possessed the ability to connect with those of the equine race. Fortunately for him, the King of the Thieves of Corus, recognized Stefan's wild magic with horses and helped the orphaned lad find respectable work as a palace stable hand when he was old enough to begin an apprenticeship. Through the years, the stocky blond man with gentle eyes, had progressed upward and now held the position of Chief Hostler of the royal stables.

A simple man with simple tastes, Stefan knew that the only thing lacking in his life was a good wife. He'd seen other hostlers marry and start families of their own and he always thought that would be nice for him to do someday. He had no trouble at all communicating with the horses and he could speak with people about horses all day long. Unfortunately, Stefan became rather shy and tongue-tied around the palace maids and laundresses, as well as most other two-legged females. That is, until he met Lalasa Isran.

One winter afternoon, Stefan had discovered the terrified palace maid, hiding in a pile of loose straw. He'd have poked her with his pitchfork, if he hadn't noticed the material of her torn skirt sticking out of the haystack. It took the hostler quite a bit of coaxing to get Lalasa to come out of her hiding place, but he handed her a blanket and she emerged wrapped up tighter than a moth in its cocoon. Later, he discovered that one of the palace squires had assaulted the poorlass. Eventually, she left palace service to become a seamstress in town.

The more Stefan thought about Lalasa's doe-brown eyes and her shiny black hair, the more he liked her. Before she'd left palace service altogether, she would come by the stables and offer treats of apples or carrots to the spare horses under Stefan's care. She said she felt sorry that they didn't have proper riders assigned to them and so they missed out on such goodies. Lalasa was a gentle person and she possessed the kind of voice that was soothing to horses, too.

Soon, the former maid noticed rips and tears in the hostler's clothing and she offered to fix them for him in exchange for letting her come out and sit up in one of the hay lofts, away from other people. By then, Stefan had figured out that Lalasa was man-shy, but that suited him fine, because he knew his own shyness would cause him to proceed cautiously when it came to winning the young woman's heart. When she finally hired on to work at a dress shop in town, Stefan discovered that he missed Lalasa's visits to the stables and he sent word to her that she'd always be welcomed back if she ever wanted to say hello to her favorite horses.

Nowadays, Lalasa would come up to the palace stables from time to time, usually in the late afternoons when her work was done for the day. She always came in the company of one of her female friends, usually a former ladies' maid named Tianine Plowman, but sometimes one of the guards from the Goddess' temple, Keladry Mindelan, would come along instead. Today was one such day. Stefan knew that Kel, as the tall lass insisted he call her, liked horses too. She'd always come prepared with an entire basket of treats for their four-legged friends.

"Oh, Mistress Keladry, don't go too close t' tha' fella," Stefan warned as she held out an apple to an unfamiliar horse who already was reaching over the rope in front of his stall. "He's likely to nip yer hand along with whate'er ye're offerin' 'im."

Kel deftly repositioned the apple in her hand so that the small destrier's teeth couldn't touch her skin. Then she examined the horse more carefully. He was a strawberry roan gelding with a reddish hide, flecked with white, and red-brown stockings, face, mane, and tail. She hadn't seen him before in this part of the stable.

"What's his name?" Kel asked without taking her eyes off of the animal, who seemingly knew she had more fruit.

"Peachblossom," Stefan answered. "But I didn't name him. He hasn't been over here too long. In fact, I've got t' find 'im a new home soon. He was assigned t' one o' th' pages who, ah, didn't stay. 'Tis a shame, too, but can't be helped - this ol' warhorse won't let any of th' other pages near 'im - he bites ye if he don't like ye and he don't like any of 'em."

"Oh," Kel sighed. She had offered the gelding another apple and he let her stroke his shiny mane. "I think he likes me well enough - or maybe it's just the apples he likes."

Someday, Kel hoped to have a horse of her own - her family had a small stable of horses and she had learned to ride at an early age. There were several horses at the temple - priestesses and guards were allowed to keep their mounts at the temple stables as long as they could pay for their upkeep, so most of the horses belonged to the women who had come from noble families. Lissie owned a gentle old mare named Matilda and she let Kel ride her around the stable yard whenever time presented itself.

Stefan watched the temple guard feed and pet Peachblossom with a mixture of curiosity and hope. Very few people could get so close to the ornery horse without getting bitten, but here was this total _stranger, _actually stroking his nose and patting his neck as though they belonged together. An idea began to form in the experienced hostler's mind.

"Mistress Kel, would ye like fer me t' saddle 'im up?" Stefan asked, "Ye could ride 'im 'round the yard a time or two. Won't take me but a minute t' get 'im ready fer ye."

Kel glanced at Lalasa, who only shrugged. The plump seamstress could tell that Stefan was up to something, but she didn't know what it could be. She trusted him; so she gave Kel a nod and the guard quickly indicated her eager consent. Stefan got to work and within a short amount of time, Kel had hitched up her skirts, mounted Peachblossom and was riding him around a small fenced-in yard.

"Yer friend rides Peachblossom like they's made fer each other," Stefan told Lalasa as they watched from the other side of the fence. "D' ye think she'd be willin' t' take 'im off my hands? He's already told me tha' he likes the tall lass better'n any lad who's ever rode 'im."

Lalasa thought for a moment before she answered. Whenever Tian had accompanied her to the stables, they'd always followed Stefan's advice to stay away from the mean gelding. But watching Kel trot around the yard on the horse's strong back made her wonder if this was the same animal that snapped and bit everyone who came too close to him. The seamstress didn't know a lot about horses, but even she could tell that Kel and Peachblossom should be together.

"I know that the temple guards are allowed to have their own mounts, but that costs money," she said slowly, thinking aloud. "Kel's family has money - though I doubt she'd ask for any of it. She's a proud one, and with good reason; she's such a fine temple guard and you won't find a nicer person than she is, even if she can fight better than most men. One of her brothers is with the Queen's Riders, so maybe he could convince her to give poor Peachblossom a home. That might be worth a try."

"The Riders? Really?" Stefan raised his eyebrows and then he remembered where he'd heard Kel's surname before. "Her brother's not _Conal_ Mindelan, is he?"

Lalasa nodded, "Yes, that's his name. Kel says he's quite a prankster within the Riders. Though, she doesn't know how he gets away with half of the things he's described to her in his letters. She always shares them with me because they're so entertaining." She chuckled at the thought.

"Yes, Rider Conal is quite good at pullin' a good prank," affirmed Stefan, "That he is indeed. An' it just so happens he owes me a favor or two fer sommat." Then he smiled widely because now he knew that he'd found Peachblossom a new owner and he knew how to help him get there.

While Kel was having fun with Peachblossom, one of the palace knights walked up behind Stefan and Lalasa, unnoticed. His sky-blue eyes bulged under his very fair eyebrows as he recognized the notoriously ill-mannered gelding trotting along as though he always was this well-behaved. The blond knight was shocked upon recognizing the rider - tall in the saddle and obviously enjoying herself with her pretty legs indecently exposed. It was that awful temple guard, Keladry Mindelan - the one who'd so callously attacked him and prevented him from saying farewell to Caelyn and Jori.

"Since when do you allow such riff-raff to ride the palace mounts?" Joren coldly asked Stefan.

Both Stefan and Lalasa jumped with surprise. Then they turned and bowed and curtseyed to the knight, before Stefan answered curtly, "Beggin' yer pardon, Sir Joren, but tha' horse is no longer fit for palace trainin'. He's ready t' go t' a home outside th' palace walls an' I'm fairly sure tha' I just found 'im a new owner."

"Humph! It figures that a nasty guard would be well-suited for that nasty beast," Joren scoffed. "Well, Stefan, when you get a chance, I'd like for you to take a look at my horse's left front hoof - she seems to be favoring it lately and we'll have to ride north by the end of the month. I'm sure it will be a pleasant change for you to handle a _lovely_ horse like my Ladybelle." Then he turned and walked briskly toward the stable where various knights kept their mounts.

Stefan shook his head and apologized to Lalasa, but she wouldn't hear of it. She remembered Sir Joren from when she worked as a maid in the squires' wing of the palace. He was somewhat arrogant and aloof, but he was nicer than many of the boys. Unfortunately, he'd also been a friend of the former squire who had traumatized Lalasa a few years ago when she'd first met Stefan after running away from her attacker. She shuddered at the thought of that terrible time. Stefan instinctively reached out to grasp her hand reassuringly. It wasn't the first time he'd done such a thing, and she smiled gratefully up at him for his comforting warmth.

"Master Stefan!" Kel called out from across the yard, causing the couple to let go of each other's hands quickly, "Is there time for me to take Peachblossom around one more time?"

"Uh ... yes," he replied, shaking his head as though coming out of a daze, "But only once. Some of us palace folk still have work t' do fer a while yet," he called back, smiling. "I've got t' see to a sore hoof real quick like. Think ye can stable Peachblossom yerself?"

Kel hesitated, but said she'd do her best. Stefan told Lalasa that he'd return soon and then he walked off to find Sir Joren and Ladybelle. A few other people who were passing by the stable yard also wondered about the tall city girl who was riding one of the stable's meanest horses. They'd never seen that particular beast behaving so nicely.

Two of those passersby were cousins. Dark-haired, sapphire-eyed Domitan of Masbolle was a sergeant in the King's Own. His cousin, the brown-haired and emerald-eyed Nealan of Queenscove, was squire to the realm's only living lady knight, Sir Alanna of Olau and Pirates' Swoop. Both men were quite impressed with the young woman's ability to handle such a disagreeable horse and made a bet with each other that the horse would dump his rider as soon as she tried to dismount him. A few minutes later, as Kel smoothly dismounted and led a seemingly calm Peachblossom back to his stall, Neal dropped a silver coin into Dom's outstretched hand and they continued on their way.

Kel was in the middle of grooming Peachblossom when Stefan returned to that stable. He watched her working on the horse's hindquarters for a few moments, while silently communicating with him. The gelding conferred to Stefan of his great like for this new two-legged female. He wouldn't mind her, as a rider - or at least not nearly as much as others. The hostler assured his four-legged friend that he had a plan to get them together. When Peachblossom suggested that Stefan mount up and bite the neck of the black-maned, two-legged female standing behind him, the man with the suddenly red face silently told the gelding to mind his own business.

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Four days later, Kel was beyond flustered when her Rider brother arrived at the servants' entrance to the temple with the strawberry roan gelding in tow. At first, she thought it was a mean-spirited practical joke when Conal Mindelan presented her with official-looking documents proclaiming her ownership of the horse, Peachblossom. Stefan had called in a few of Conal's outstanding debts to him for various supplies and alibis over the years. It didn't take very long for the Chief Hostler to convince the Rider to purchase the ornery horse for his sister, but it took the prankster quite a while to convince his skeptical sister that everything was real and that their parents had agreed to pay for all of Peachblossom's fees at the temple stables.

Kel tearfully accepted her gift-horse and hugged Conal tightly. He was not allowed to enter the temple grounds, not even to help Kel take Peachblossom to the stables, so the siblings said their farewells at the back gate and went their separate ways. Kel was so excited that she ran all the way up to the infirmary to tell Lissie her good news as soon as she settled everything with the temple's chief hostler.

"You have a horse now, too? Just like Mistress Lissie?" asked Jori, whom Lissie was examining when Kel burst in. "Can I see it?"

"_May_ I see it," chuckled Caelyn who sat nearby, which elicited a slight scowl from the little girl.

Kel grinned at the exchange between mother and daughter - her noble-born mother often corrected her in the same manner. Lissie finally agreed that a little walk in the fresh air and a _brief_ visit to the stable would be good for both Jori and Caelyn. When they reached the stall where Peachblossom was now happily munching on some hay, Jori gasped at the size of him.

"He's as big as Papa's horse!" the little girl exclaimed. "What's his name?"

"His name is Peachblossom," Kel said and smiled at Jori, "But I didn't name him." She figured that she'd be explaining that name quite a bit.

"I think it suits him just fine," said Jori, "Don't you think so, Mama? Isn't he just the loveliest boy-horse you've ever seen?"

Caelyn nodded and wrapped her arms around her smiling daughter. It was so good to see Jori smiling again. Their smiles had been few and far between since they'd begun this journey and she was grateful to the healer and the guard who lavished her daughter - and her, too - with such tender and thoughtful care.

"Yes," Caelyn agreed, "He is a lovely horse, indeed."

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**A/N: Okay, that was mostly character and plot development, but we really wanted to bring Kel and Peachblossom together in this story. We also wanted to introduce some other familiar faces as soon as possible. ;D Please send us a review and let us know what you think. Thanks! ~~ Dawn of the Sky**


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